Northwest State Community College has a new home at UT’s Scott Park campus.

Custom Training Solutions, a division of Northwest State in Archbold, is providing courses and custom training with Web and videoconference equipment from its new facilities in the Learning Resource Center at UT’s Scott Park campus.

Tom Wylie, vice president of Workforce Development at Northwest State, said his college needed a location with better access to fiber optic and broadband for operating the new Smart Board technology for Web and videoconferencing.

Wylie said when UT President Dr. Lloyd Jacobs learned Northwest was looking for a new facility, he invited the college to work in partnership with UT and offered space at Scott Park for offices, classrooms and studios.

“The Smart Board technology is the new wave of learning and it’s now here in Toledo. Many people don’t realize we are located at UT,” Wylie said.

Custom Training Solutions offers public credit courses in computer training, leadership, management, maintenance and technical seminars for students at either college. It also provides custom noncredit employee training for companies in the Toledo area, Ohio and across the United States.

“This technology enhances the learning process with an interactive system that provides e-training in four ways,” Wylie said.

First, it offers Web-based courses online for employees or students whenever they have the time to take them.

Secondly, Web conference training is hosted over the Internet for students and employees wherever they are located.

Thirdly, the Smart Board videoconferencing allows for training people at multiple locations via computers and telephone connections.

Lastly, equipment is portable so it can be taken onsite to train employees at their locations.

“It covers different learning styles so we can reach them with audio, video and interactive,” said Tamara Norris, a computer training coordinator. “Technology is important, but using it to engage students on the other end is even more valuable. They can apply what they are learning during the live training sessions.”

The students can see the material on the large screen, as well as the instructor and what he is drawing or writing on the Smart Board at several locations simultaneously.

“The visual content is the star, but the personal exchange simulates the classroom setting,” said John Krochmalny, an industrial training specialist, who teaches several Web and videoconference courses.

“It’s a brand-new frontier. The quality of the technology has improved in the six years we have been using it,” he said.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 3rd, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Special Section, Transitions.
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